It happened in Kyrgyzstan when I occasionally became the member of the scientific expedition. I had the shooting license which allowed me to get an argali for collection of the genetic material.
I was accompanied by the very passionate scientists from the Kyrgyzstant Academy of Science. They monitor and keep the record of animal numbers which habitat on the territory of the country during the long period of time. II've been surprised that they send all genetic material to USA to analyze and to compare because the biggest genetic bank of the wild ungulates is located there.
For many year the biggest hunting Associations of the New World such as Safari Club International and Grand Slam Club OVIS initiated different scientific expeditions and programs to study the wild ungulates all around the world. The results of that work is the reliable data of populations and the DNA Bank (the main genome molecule) of mountain ungulates of the entire planet. Such competent and scientific approach causes respect and makes us to think how the things are going on in Russia. We know about Nikolay Vavilov - the Russian Academic who created the Bank of agricultural plants collected all around the world. Other scientists followed this way and formed the Banks of single-celled organisms and viruses. Today we can compare and analyze the composition of mitochondrial or nuclear DNA and it’s very important to have the Data Bank which allows to define the belonging similar multicellular animals to the same genus.
The initiative group of the CMH pointed the support of the scientific programs as one of the priority activity of the Club. It’s a part of our mission. The process of registration of the Club Articles is not completed yet but we've send our proposals to the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution. We suggested them to develop a joint program to study the wild ungulates.
Our pilot project is the research program which study the molecular and genetic variability of mountain goats (Tur) on Caucasus (Capra caucasica, C. cylindricornis, C. aegagrus). Turs are the endemic animals, habitat in that definite mountains massif and they form the stable population from t the north- west of Kuban to the south- east of Azerbaijan. That area has been a war zone during the long period of time, that's why we don't have enough information based on the genetic data research.
The north American Club of Mountain Hunters Ovis defined the Mid Caucasus subspecies as the separate hunting species. They did it by two reasons. The first one is to activate the hunting tourism. It’s a known fact that adding a new species or populations create good conditions to develop the hunting industry. The trophy hunters has the passion to collect as many trophies as it's possible that’s why he will go to the new area to get the new animal. The next reason is so that hunters who hunted on Caucasus or in Karachay-Cherkessia know or even have met the animals, which look different in comparison with Dagestan or Kuban turs. They inhabitat on the border of those two populations.
The Russian Club of Mountain Hunters launched the scientific program. Its aim is to estimate the genetic variety of mountain goats populations on Caucasus (Capra caucasica, C. cylindricornis, C. aegagrus). It’ll help to systematize mountain ungulates.
But we are not going to confine with that research. The number of Russian mountain hunters who travel all around the world increased in several times. All together we could support Russian science to create the molecular genetic data Bank which would analyze, study and systematize the received data. It’s also important for future generations. It's clear that none of the scientific organizations can make such research independently but if it connect with well known outfitters companies or famous hunters, all together we could cope with this task.
Most of hunters who hunt around the world and several big outfitters companies such as Profi Hunt and Safari Expeditions supported that idea. I urge you too to join the initiative of our Club and to contribute to the study of wild ungulate hunting animals. Below is the instruction how to collect the material for the further study.
1. Clean the knife blade by water and wipe with alcohol or vodka
2. Don’t touch the blade by hands or other things after cleanin.
3. You have to make an incision of the outer layers of muscles of the animal’s body, its neck, a head or a tongue and cut a piece of muscle with the size of a pea ( 1-3 grams).
4. Put it into a test tube with alcohol not touching it by hands.
5. Close the tube and glue the peice of paper with the following data:
- Species
- Date of hunt
- The district or the federation entity, if the trophy was taken in Russia or detailed description of other countries.
- Gender, age (trophy)
- Name of the hunter
- GPS/Glonass coordinates of the place where the trophy has been hunted if it’s possible.
6. To make the picture of the trophy from different sides.
7. Мeasure of the trophy
Alexander Gomonov tel. +79151357635. Is the contact person who provide you with test tubes and all delivery instructions.
Safari magazine will published names of all hunters who contributed the foundation of the molecular genetic Bank of the wild hunting animals.
